Lepontine Alps

Part of the Central Alps, the Lepontines are located on the Swiss-Italian border, due east of the Bernese Oberland. Though milder in stature than the Oberland, these sharp rocky peaks generally have more lush vegetation and better weather, although severe thunderstorms sometimes rise from the hot Italian plains. The Swiss side is generally steeper, its abrupt walls and glacier-filled cirques hanging spectacularly above the Val Bregaglia, one of the most beautiful valleys in the Alps.